The biggest unknown for the Berlin Dance Competition would be the nature of the music. Speed was not a factor as we created a routine and trained to a speed that even the pros would have to run to keep up to. How would we be able to slow down without losing our timing? There was so much time between each beat.

"Let's go out and dance pieces of our routine to everything they play," I suggested to Sharon. We hit El Rancho, unpretentious with lots of room downstairs and DJs who played everything. Ninety minutes later and soaking wet, we knew we could stay on time with anything that could be thrown at us. Snapping off dips on a busy floor gave us the confidence and control we would need for the competition. We knew we had something when one of the waitresses came up to us and said, "You have this connection and dance so well together…."

Berlin - Preliminary Tuesday Nite

For some reason, anything with the word 'salsa' attached doesn't start on time. We were really hoping things would not run too late as Sharon had to go back to work. Sharon works nights so I arranged to meet her at her downtown office and we would take the subway to Berlin. Her office gang gave her a quiet 'high five' as she shrugged into her overcoat and headed out into the wintery night. After we were finished, I would take Sharon back to work so she could finish the rest of her 'day'.

Arriving at 10:00pm for an optimistic 10:30pm start, we found the organizer, checked in and waited. Sharon had changed into her costume in the closet at her office and covered it with a very nondescript blouse. Her spangled butterfly halter would be another secret weapon. Looking frumpy at the very chic Berlin, we wandered around a bit, and talked with Sharon's sister, mom and dad who staked out a great vantage overlooking the dance floor.

We quietly walked through a few pieces of our routine. the butterflies in our stomachs were almost as big as the butterfly Sharon was wearing. Even though the music and the live band were very tempting, we did not dance. We were saving our energy for our turn in the competition. Looking down on the floor we were able to pick out three other couples who were competing simply from watching their body language and posture while dancing.

Launching Sharon out of dips on the correct foot so we would move on 'one' rather than on 'five' was my biggest worry. We were so attuned to music that it almost hurt to start on five. We counted and walked through figures where the timing was crucial. Some time after 11:00 the regular Tuesday evening salsa band finished their first set and instead of calling the contestents to the floor, the DJ began to play merengue and recorded salsa. Arrghh! Sharon had to get back to work.

Waiting & Waiting

We danced a few songs while waiting for the organizers to get organized. Sharon 'rushes' the music when she is a little nervous and it was important to work the 'rushes' out before competing. Ten minutes later, Sharon's 'rushes' peetered out and we were just playing with the music. A few people were looking at the frump who was dancing with me as Sharon's blouse was still hiding her costume. And we did not dance a single figure we would be using in our routine. That was so hard.

Spotting the organizer, I begged her not to choose us first, I wanted to hear the music we would be dancing to and wanted to get a real feel for its timing so I would stay on the beat. The organizer smiled.

At last, the DJ asked for all the contestents to find their way to the dance floor and the Berlin staff began to clear an area in the center. We had been hanging around so long that we were not nervous anymore. We simply wanted to dance, get judged and get out of there!

The DJ began to play the warm up song for the five couples who were competing that night. We were doing anything but the figures we would be using in the contest while the others were spinning and turning and posturing. People were looking at us, this non-descript couple with the frumpy woman.

"Now," I hissed, "Take it off. Take it off!" "Lose the blouse."

The blouse disappeared and people really began to watch as Sharon sparkled as brightly as her butterfly. The music faded away and we stood with the crowd watching the show that was about to start.

Introductions, sponsor names, judge introductions and DJ introductions, while so necessary and interesting, seemed to take forever. At last, the first couple was called and the music started. We noticed that most of the competitors started apart. The previous year, we were the only couple that started apart. Did they pick that up from us we wondered. Hmmm. No dips, no real multiple turns, lots of repeated moves or really close variations. Our confidence rose.

The music faded very predictably around 2 minutes. That would give us enough time to 'wrap up' and easily end with our Tango finish. While the music had a strong beat, it seemed so slow compared to what we trained on. But we had to stay with it, use it and keep the beat to make the semi finals.

At Last, It Is Our Turn

"Sharon and Mike, couple number three" At last, it is our turn!

We took our positions apart and waited for the music to start. The first notes began. Off we went on our predetermined trajectory of figures and moves. It was really odd, being the only ones in the entire venue who were dancing as we normally dance anomynously in a crowd or alone in a private empty studio.

Sharon's sexy come-on got the crowd's attention. Our opening double turn brought them to life. Our ah ha dip had them clapping and cheering and shouting. We were rocking and still on the beat. Woo! Hoo!

Oh No!

We were steaming right along; Giovanni 2, Tornado, rico suave, figure 8, throw out and dip, set up to neck drop. Almost too smoothly it seemed…Oh no! What comes next? I missed one figure. Damn, we did two basics while a few more figures popped into mind.

"Meltdown meltdown! Awlright, we do a meltdown!" "Gyro! Gyro! Do the Gyro! The crowd will love that one!"

I brought Sharon in really close and down we went in a most sensual saucy burlesque way. The crowd went absolutely bananas! This is what outrageous salsa is all about! The Gyro arched Sharon way way out while we were seemingly joined at the hip! This is the stuff we left out last year. And this was the stuff we had in spades this year!

Finishing with our Tango pose right as the music faded, it was a perfect finish! The crowd went nuts.

People Liked What They Saw

We watched the other couples and cheered them on. More like friends we met rather than competitors, everyone was so considerate and supportive. After couple five finished, we waited for the results. Wandering around, people came out of nowhere and congratulated us. They really liked our energy. They all said the same thing, the energy we seemed to exude really caught their eye. The band started their second set.

About 90 minutes after the last couple danced, the band graciously took a short break as the DJ called us all back to the dance floor for the announcement. With bated breath we waited.

To The Semis

"Sharon and Mike go to the semi finals!"

We're in!

Now the really hard work began. What worked, what did not work, how to make this better, sharper. Meanwhile, I had to get Sharon back to work. It was 1:00AM.

My mind going blank really threw me. Practice, more practice so I would not forget any patterns. That would be fatal in the semis or the finals. Like a football coach looking over the 'game films', I downloaded photos and even the video clips the various salsa sites posted. The Berlin dance competition is such a big event in Toronto's salsa calendar, the entire salsa community covers it. We looked at our pictures and at pictures of other couples using similar moves for technique and style. How can we make our stuff even better. We had several weeks before the semi finals and time to polish and fine tune things.

Fine Tuning & Adjusting

I clipped and cropped some of our photos and some of our competitors' photos and showed them to our old salsa instructor. In real terms, he was not our instructor, rather he was a valued friend we went to for advice and tips. He looked over the score sheets, discussed the politics that is the reality of this endeavour, and pondered.

He questioned us about one particular exit from a dip. I told him we had to do it in this particular way in order to land Sharon's foot on 'five' so she could do a turn and be ready for me to come back into her on 'one'. An experienced ballroom dancer and judge, our instructor certainly knew about timing, but getting marks knocked off for switching from one to five back to one? He understood when I played a piece of music and counted it out for him. Skaking his head in disbelief, he continued to ponder.

Looking at the dips we adjusted Sharon's posture. We nicknamed the new body alignment bow and arrow. The slight arch in her back along with her pulling up a little bit with her arms on coming out of the dip changed the whole feel of the move. Sharon's body acted like a spring and she literally bounced up from the dips. Stepping through one dip beat by beat in front of the mirror told the tale.

We also adjusted our arms for some of the other moves. After the Ah ha dip and Suzy Q's, I would push Sharon into her turn with her hand down low rather than raising her hand high. Now it looked nonchalent. We practiced and practiced and walked through our patterns again and again, ensuring I would not forget any sequence.

Using our complimentary competitor free passes, we quietly turned up to watch the other groups of amateurs and professionals go through the rest of the preliminary rounds. Not knowing names, we numbered the couples each night that could be our direct competition. We were not about to change our routine, but watching the other competitors gave new urgency to tidying up and sharpening our routine.

Trying Out The Stage - Getting Serious

The semi finals would take place on the Berlin stage so arrangements had been made to try out the stage on Saturday 15 March. A panic e-mail came in Thursday night. Berlin was not available for practice on Saturday, come in Friday night. "I work Friday night." Sharon exclaimed.

We wished to take advantage of every opportunity to practice, feel out our competitors and generally be seen. Getting to practice on Berlin's stage was very important for us.

"Friday night. Could you go in a little early, then 'play hooky' for an hour or so and go back?" I asked. "I'll see what I can do," Sharon said.

Fortunately, Sharon's office was not too busy and she was able to slip away. Arriving at Berlin, rap music was pounding through the speakers. "What the …."

We found the organizer. "There is a little problem with the practice." She said. "A fashion show is starting shortly and they are practicing and setting up for that. They didn't tell us. We only have a few minutes to practice as they are getting ready."

"Better some than none," I whispered to Sharon who was not amused. She had to work extra late tonight to make up the time.

Between the breakdancing acts, we got in about 10 minutes of moving about the stage, seeing where the judges would be sitting, getting a feel for the space that was available for movement, and getting a sense of where center was so we could move with abandon.

Fellow Competitors Really Nice

The other competitors were very very nice. It was almost like an "old home week". "How are you doing! Nice to see you" was exchanged between kisses on both cheeks.

"You ready? Nah, are you ready?" passed about. "What kind of shoes are you wearing?" "Not those", pointing to my heavy boots, "Probably these," lifting a pair of black oxfords.

The whole atmosphere was very relaxing. The only thing missing were the hor d'oeuvres and the Friday afternoon happy hour cocktails.

Sexy Salsa Converts Rap & Break Dancers

Salsa's fluid sexy movements and the flirty connection that couples have was such a contrast to the violent angular solitary movement that trademarks rap and breakdance. We may have made a few converts. They were very curious as to who these salsa people were, what the dance was and where the music came from.

Then we drew lots for our positions in the semi-finals. We drew number 6. Wanting to stay, but needing to go, we packed our shoes, slipped into our winter coats, wished the other couples good luck and left. Sharon had to get back to work.

Tuesday was a busy day and during the day, turn patterns were floating through my mind. I could not afford to forget any tonight. Salsa is about leading and following. If the guy does not lead, nothing happens.

Berlin Semi Finals - We Are The Menu

Turning up around 10:30 pm we could feel the buzz and the excitement at Berlin. We were the show this evening, there was no live band. That was an interesting feeling. We had danced at Berlin several times before as customers, never as the entertainment. This was really neat. We breezed by the doorman, did not have to pay cover or check our coats. This VIP treatment could be addictive very quickly.

We checked in with the organizers and waited. As we were dancing on the stage, we were taken to the backstage area and got to see the bowels of Berlin. More competitors were wearing costumes this time, sparkles graced more bare shoulders and there was a real sense of expectation. The color and sparkle contrast with the gritty backstage area.

"Everyone will be waiting in a roped off area beside the stage. Go the stage from this side, and leave by this side." The organizer said, pointing to stage right and then stage left. We were packed like cordwood in this teeny tiny area just around stage right. A bouncer the size of a refrigerator hovered about, not letting us make more room.

We were couple five as the original couple five could not make it. The crowd was expectant but quiet. Four judges were poised in front of center stage, clipboards and pencils in hand. The salsa media was out, cameras at the ready. The first couple was called, the night was on!

The music seemed slow compared to ours. Unlike the preliminaries, the DJ used a different piece for each couple. And the piece he played for couple three was one of our favorites.

"Damn!" I whispered into Sharon's ear, " We could have had a field day with that piece, we know it inside and out" "Make do with what they give us." Sharon fired back.

"Couple number five, Sharon and Mike." Ivy introduced us.

Spotting ourselves on the stage, we waited. We think salsa is sexy so we tried to bring that aspect out with our flirty beginning. People love to watch a flirty sexy couple dance and we wanted to include them.

The music started. Ugh! It was so flat and lifeless in comparison to what we like to dance to. Lets make it work and have some fun!

Flirt! Flirt! Flirt!

Flirt! Flirt! Flirt! The crowd came to life with our outrageous opening. And the Ah ha dip got the place rocking. The energy from the crowd gave us that extra little bit to really make things go.

The crowd got louder and louder on each dip we did. Very few couples, amateur or professional dip anymore so it must have been a real treat to watch. For us, it is a challenge to execute different dips and still flow well with the music. As the music faded at the two minute mark, we finished with a 'neck cradle' and held it. Sharon's ponytail was touching the ground. The crowd was jumping up and down and applauding.

As we went back to the holding area, all the couples really congratulated us on our performance. Most of them had not seen us before as their preliminaries ran over four weeks. And, including moves we forgot in the preliminaries, our routine had a different feel yet again.

At last, everyone had their turn on the stage and the waiting began again as the judges tallied the scores. We talked with a few people, and hung around watching the clock tick. Sharon had to get back to work.

To The Finals

A long time later the DJ called the competitors to the stage. In our gut we knew we would make the finals from the strength of our performance and the performances of the other couples. We were not first, but we were not last. In no particular order the finalists were called out. The crowd applauded each couple for their effort and their courage in getting on a stage in front of a whole venue to dance and be judged.

"Mike and Sharon to the finals." We made it! Collecting our score sheets, nous donnerions un gros bec to the organizers. Afterwards, the salsa community media took some photographs and we all sat with the organizers and drew lots for the finals. We would be number three. Saying our goodbyes, we left. I had to get Sharon back to work.